Bill to Equip Planes with CCTVs Introduced to State Duma

MOSCOW, February 14 (RIA Novosti) - A group of lawmakers has introduced a bill to equip planes with cameras in a bid to crack down on bad in-flight behavior by drunken passengers, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament said on its website on Wednesday.

A string of recent brawls caused by Russian airline passengers has prompted calls for a crackdown on on-board drinking. In one of the recent incidents caught on camera, 54-year-old Sergei Kabalov started to behave violently while drunk on board an Egypt-bound airliner, punching one male passenger on the nose, striking a flight attendant and trying to break into the cockpit. A criminal case was launched against him for attempted plane hijacking and assault, and he faces up to 12 years in prison.

A group of lawmakers, who split from the State Duma’s A Just Russia faction, say that their bill will boost in-flight safety as cameras will act as a psychological deterrent for potential troublemakers. Footage can also help passengers and air carriers to resolve potential disputes.

“Illegal actions onboard an aircraft pose a great threat to society, as they can lead to an accident and casualties,” the bill’s authors said.

Deputy State Duma Speaker Sergei Neverov said cameras alone were not enough to solve the problem of alcohol-fueled mid-air conflicts and brawls. He added that air carriers should be responsible for public security onboard.

“Cameras alone are not enough to solve the problem. Air carriers are charged with maintaining order, and they can install cameras without any special law,” said Neverov, a member of the ruling United Russia party.

He added that if obliged to equip planes with CCTV cameras, air carriers might raise ticket prices.

The deputy speaker suggested blacklists of troublemakers and in-flight alcohol sale limits as measures to crack down on bad behavior onboard.

According a story in The Moscow News, lawmakers and airlines are now seeking tougher legal measures they say are currently missing from Russia’s Air Code: raising fines, and creating an official blacklist of misbehaving passengers and banning in-flight alcohol.

State Duma Transport Committee member Vitaly Yefimov said deputies plan to introduce a bill banning passengers from carrying Duty Free alcohol on board, in a bid to head off violent behavior.